When it comes to food and college students, is there ever a more beautiful pair? Many BV students here on campus love La Juanita’s, it’s cheap, quick and tastes great! It’s popular due to its quality and convivence. However, if students enjoy the vibes La Juas gives, they’ll love Café Havana just as much, if not more!

Café Havana is a quaint little restaurant located at, 115 E Railroad St, Storm Lake, IA by the train tracks. Being just slightly off the main strip of downtown makes this location a little secluded. The brightly colored building is hard to miss, with its colored signage and floral plants. Walking through the doors, not only are you welcomed by the friendly staff, you are also welcomed by the wonderful aroma which comes from the Cuban foods.

Arriving at the café, I was met with immediate service despite it being busy on a Friday night. With ample seating, my party and I got the choice to sit inside or outside. We ended up choosing to sit outside due to the beautiful weather. Our wait staff was prompt in supplying our table with drinks and ordering our starters. I chose to start with one of the smoothies. The options were mango, fresa & banana, strawberry, and mamey. I had the fresa banana, and it was delicious! I was even asked if I was satisfied with how sweet it was, being it was made from authentic ingredients.

The staff at the café are determined to satisfy their customers and ensure they feel safe, welcomed, and comfortable. That being said, every worker wore a mask. Customers were also permitted to wear a mask unless they were seated. These precautions provided a sense of safety and acknowledgement that Café Havana cares about the health of their community.

When ordering my entrée, I chose the Cuban turkey sandwich elena ruz. There were options such as congris, white rice, frijoles, tostones, maduro, and papa frita for sides, however the smoothie was filling so I stuck with the sandwich only.

Much like the deliverance of the starter, my party’s entrées came out to our table rather quickly. The sandwich came wrapped in warm tin foil in a basket. The turkey elena ruz sandwich I had ordered had turkey, cream cheese, and strawberry jam on Cuban bread. The combination was something I’ve never heard of or had before, I was a little apprehensive, but It was warm, tasted wonderful and melted in my mouth.

Café Havana has many options to choose from. Some of the menu items include, 3 meat Boricua sandwhich tripleta, chicken pollo, beef tenera, and pork cerdo to name a few. With relatively inexpensive pricing, grabbing a bite for lunch or dinner here is very affordable. The service is quick, whether it be dine in or take out, which is great if you want to stop in between classes as well. They’re open from 11 am to 10 pm Tuesday-Sunday and closed on Monday. For more updates on times and other information you can check out their Facebook page.

If you’re looking for a new, quick, low priced, and tasty place to eat at I would highly recommend visiting Café Havana.